Tania Davis of Goodrich looks for an opening in the second half. (Lauren Justice | MLive.com )

Taylor Gleason of Goodrich drives down the court in the second half. (Lauren Justice | MLive.com )

EAST LANSING, MI – Superior. Awesome. Outstanding. Dynasty.

You wouldn’t go wrong with describing the Goodrich girls basketball team with any of these words this season but “champions” suit the Martians best. In an all Genesee County state final, Goodrich topped its local challenger Flint Powers 51-34 to pick up its second straight Class B championship at the Breslin Center on Saturday, March 16.

The Martians joined an elite class with six other Flint-area schools to capture at least two or more state titles in a row, barring class. Ironically enough, Flint Powers was the last Class B school to pull it off in 2000 and 2001 under Coach Kathy McGee – who was in attendance.

So where does Goodrich rank in the area’s girls basketball history? Martians coach Jason Gray will let the public decide on that.

“We talk to the girls a lot about the legacy that they leave and how much this inspires others to work hard,” Gray said. “These things matter. Recently we’ve got an attitude of winning.”

Goodrich’s title game went down to the wire in 2012 with Grand Rapids Catholic Central but the Martians controlled the game from start to finish against Powers. After losing three key contributors to serious injuries early in the season – including Penn State commit Aketra Sevillian -- Gray didn’t initially predict things to end this way.

“It’s two completely different scenarios,” Gray said. “Last year, I thought we had the best talent all around in the entire state and we played like that pretty much every game. This year, we were still pretty talented but we lost a few players but these two (Taylor Gleason and Tania Davis) showed that they’re the two most talented kids as far as a backcourt goes in the state.”

Sophomore guard Tania Davis led Goodrich with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals versus Powers. Miss Basketball runner-up Taylor Gleason, an Illinois signee, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and five assists. The dynamic duo cherished their time together on the floor. They have competed together since middle school on the AAU circuit.

“I’ve been very fortunate to play with a team as talented as I have in these last four years,” Gleason said. “I couldn’t imagine playing with anybody else and the experiences that I’ve had with this team and this program have been unforgettable.”

As a freshman, Davis’ role was much smaller on the Goodrich squad that featured three Division I commits, but she felt more comfortable in her second go-around. The tiny guard studied the upperclassmen and felt relaxed in her second state finals appearance.

“I think I’ve grown a lot,” Davis said. “I learned from (Aketra) and Taylor a lot. When (Aketra) went down, I knew I had to step up tremendously and be a leader and take her position on the team and also do my part, too.”

Davis predicts “more championships” in the future with her in the lineup. She's excited to be a part of the new winning tradition at Goodrich.

“When I got done talking in the locker room Tania made a point that this one was for the alumni that scratched and clawed and sometimes challenged them but also got beat down pretty good,” Gray said. “That makes me happy that they’re thinking big picture.”

In the last three years, Goodrich has won 77 of its last 82 games and there’s no reason to believe that the Martians can’t win it all again next year.

It takes a lot for me to call a team awesome but that’s the best way to put it.